My Writings. My Thoughts.

Credit Card Debt

// October 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Debt

debtRegardless of your social class, debt is becoming more and more frequent among people with today’s economy. However, there is help with credit card debt available to you. By exercising particular guide lines and by following certain rules strictly, there is hope for your financial situation. Here are some tips that you should follow.

One tip that people rarely follow is one of the most useful and important tips, and that is to save up a $1,000 emergency fund. These finances should only be used in cases of strict emergencies. Birthdays and christmas fall on the same date every year, so this can be planned for, and does not qualify as an emergency. If you are serious about reducing your expenses than this should be a goal that is worked towards and not skimped on.

You should also get an overview of your finances and determine what your income is and what your expenses are, for example: how much you make a month vs. how much you spend. It is important to be honest with yourself and include every cost, even if they are obviously not a necessity.

Economic Crisis

// September 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // Stocks and Shares

crisisThe United States of America is now facing an economic crisis. Many companies, big or small are now closing thus terminating the contracts of many people. In return, many people are now finding themselves without a job. And being someone without a job can make it harder for him or her to survive daily in the present state of the society. Many people are now opting, if possible, to have as many sources of income as possible. So when the time comes that they are terminated to their day jobs, they will still have another job or two to hold on.

Global financial crisis took its place in September of 2008. According to different online sources, the underlying causes of financial crisis are debts and debts insurances. Many companies in the United States of America and Europe are slowly having problems with regards to these things thus a decline in the economic growth became prevalent as time goes by. And being part of the first world countries or those that are now considered developed ones, the financial crisis sneaks its way to different nations and now, only after less than a year, is being felt worldwide. During these times, many corporations are busy looking into their financial reports throughout their existence and are now contemplating whether to shut down or to just lie low for the meantime. And as corporations are making decisions to shut down than to continue with minimal or even break even financial input, many employees are finding themselves jobless.

Benefits of Prepay Debit Cards

// September 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Debit Cards

prepayPrepaid debit cards have many advantages. A few of them are given below:

Ø      Most of the debit card companies provide services in many countries all over the world. Hence, if you are a frequent traveler, you can use your debit card to purchase goods or services wherever you go.

Ø      Banks are also issuing prepay debit cards nowadays. Even if you are unable to purchase a credit card due to an imperfect credit history, it is easy to get a prepaid debit card.

Ø      It is unsafe to carry too much of money with you all the time. Instead, you can make use of your debit card for expenditure.

Ø      Unlike credit cards, if you are a debit card holder, there is no need to be apprehensive about monthly bills or missing payments at the end of each month.

Ø      You just have to be an adult to purchase prepay debit cards. As it requires only funding, your credit history will not be inspected before issuing the debit card.

Ø      Adding funds or increasing the limit in your prepaid debit card, even if you are traveling, is not burdensome. You can do so in a nearby retail location, online banks or by authorizing the debit card issuing company to transfer funds.

Ø      You can also withdraw cash from your debit card using your PIN.

Consumer Credit Act 1974

// September 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Credit

consumer2The Consumer Credit Act 1974 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to help protect the consumer when they borrow money from different financial institutions. This act is a massive piece of legislation with several amendments and other changes that have been made to it since it was passed in 1974. Let’s try to understand the basic idea of this act and what it is used for.

One of the main features of this act is that almost all businesses that sell any kind of goods of services either on credit or cash to consumers must be licensed by the Office of Fair Trading. If they don’t have this license from the Office of Fair Trading then their business is illegal and the person running the business can be fined or imprisoned or both.

The act also protects consumers who are unhappy with the outcome of their settlement with the business or other organization and this act can help the consumer reach a favorable settlement option.

This act initially protected consumers for a credit amount up to £25,000 but with certain amendments made recently the protection now is also given to consumers with a credit of over £25,000.

Mortgage

// August 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Loans and Mortgages

mortgage3This is a great time to Refinance Your Home or Buy a New Home — the Mortgage Rates are so low, these days! It is always worth a shot to find out what the costs of switching over to a new mortgage would be, to see if that is the right move for you.

Whether you are building your own house, buying a new property, gathering funds to do a renovation project, or Refinancing your current Mortgage at a much Lower Rate, you will be looking for Funding — Money, Money & More Money! Here are some commonly asked questions regarding funding for a Mortgage or a Home Improvement Loan.

To get mortgage loan you can go to the Loans Department of your regular bank, or you can go directly to a Mortgage Broker.

Keep in mind that it is generally easier to work with a Broker, since they have the ability to be a lot more flexible than a conventional bank. In addition, their rates will often be considerably lower than what the banks are offering, too, so shop around – this could save you a fair bit of money. Brokers can often get a mortgage for clients that a bank will not even touch, and they will do it at your convenience, for the most part, so you can have a more relaxed meeting with them.

Payday Loans

// August 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Debt

paydayAre you constantly falling behind on your payments? Do you pay a lot of money towards late fees and over the limit fees? If this is your monthly financial dilemma, then you need to check into payday loans. Payday loans are great for checking up on bills and paying down those high interest credit cards. You can really help with your finances if you are not always playing catch up with your bills. All the late fees that you accumulate, you could be going towards something that you really want.

Payday loans are designed to help you get out of the cycle of paying your bills late and constantly playing catch up. It can be difficult to get caught up once you fall behind. Payday loans are not large amounts because they are based off your monthly salary. You will only be loaned an amount that you can pay back during your next pay cycle. This keeps people from overextending their income.

The average payday loan is paid back within 10 to 31 days. This is the average pay cycle for most people. Paying back a loan in a short amount of time keeps the borrower from paying back a lot of interest. This makes the loan more affordable and practical.

The requirements for payday loans are that you have an income of £1000 per month. The average loan amount is roughly £100 to £1500.You do not have to be 18 years old to qualify. You must be able to pay back the loan in one pay cycle. This keeps the loan short term and easier to pay back.

You do not have to worry about credit checks with payday loans, so if you have bad credit this is a great option. Payday loans do not require a lot of paper work. In most cases, you will have the money within a 24 hour period. There is no waiting for regular paperwork to be finalized through a traditional loan officer.

Groceries and a Credit Card

// July 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // credit cards

groceriesMore and more banks are having problems, unprecedented bail- outs; executive compensations that are exorbitant have all combined to make High Street bankers less than ideal places.  They have lost the loyalty they once had without question.  Because of this, major grocery chains are looking into the possibility of offering financial services to increase their revenues.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s are at the top of the list to make this type of transition into the financial foray.  They already have their own loyalty cards, so why would it be a stretch to think that they could issue credit cards instant decision for their already steadfast customers?  When a customer shops with them they already get some type of reward so this will take it one step further.

These businesses can truly be a place for one stop shopping.  A home mortgage, insurance and a credit card all in one trusted place is what they are suggesting to their clientele.  There are statistics that show that since they have a relationship with the store they are more likely to pay off the credit card.  This makes any unpaid debt on the credit card less of a risk.

Tesco already has a credit card that has proven successful.  Customers have an incentive to pay their bills.   The cost to implement these financial services isn’t as pricey either.  They already have a huge customer base to tap into.  When a customer applies for a credit card or loan the store already has quite a good history on the people.

This keeps the marketing costs down and significantly lowers the risk.  This seems to be a formula for success.  As more and more stores ponder this idea it remains to be seen if it will actually take hold.  If it does, customers will get much more than groceries when they shop at the store.

Minimum Payment on Your Credit Cards

// July 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // credit cards

creditcards3When we like something we buy that without thinking about the amount of money that he/she has to pay at the end of the month. Checking on buying habit is very tough. For this reason a huge amount of money may be in due on your credit cards. Now if someone does not have that much amount of money to pay then he decides to pay the minimum amount of the due, in hope that on the next month I will be able to pay the due.

This situation gets worst when this minimum payment is repeated again and again. A huge amount of debt on the credit card has to be faced by the owner. If you are not able to clear the debt then bank ceases your credit card and raise bankruptcy issue against you.

The compounding factor on minimum payment of card plays a huge role and the debt goes on increasing after every month. The actual rate of compounding was 2 to 2.5%. But, recently it has been raised to 5%. So now compounding is really very fast and the debt amount becomes huge within few months which may not be possible for the user to pay. So it is better to avoid minimum payment on the credit card.

What are Payday Loans?

// July 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Loans

payday2Payday loans are simply a two-way financial transaction system. Both the parties have some rights and restrictions to follow. Like all the financial dealings, problems tend to arise during the course of payday advances as well. If you face some problems against the lender, you can not simply rant and rave, as it will give no results. Follow few steps to resolve such issues.

  1. Before you actually request for a loan, ensure that the company lending you the money has a physical location. Check the authenticity of their email addresses and the contact numbers. All the reliable companies have toll-free hot-lines where you can put forward your complaints, inquiries and various concerns. Now the time is ripe to make the most of it.
  2. If all your calls, e-mails, and personal visits go unheard and unseen. Then the best step you can take is send a pair of certified letters to the lending company. Specify your complaints with dates, and be very specific about the addressee, the staff members you have already spoken to, and the kind of response you received from them, etc in your first letter. Ask for an immediate response. Now, wait for 14 days, and if still, you face the problem, send the second letter. Attach a copy of your first letter and notify them that you will take actions if this letter gets unanswered for another 5 days.

How to Obtain Quick Cash

// July 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Loans

cash21If you are looking for quick cash then you can easily obtain it in a number of ways. These days, as money is becoming more and more liquid, it is very easy to get a quick personal loan. To start with, you can look for some reputable creditors in the market. Make sure you find one who laves a lower rate of interest. If you can put up a collateral account then the chances of getting loan brightens up to a great extend. There is a high possibility that the rate of interests you get are high as you may pose as high risk borrower.

To save a good amount of money in the interest payment, one must look for a creditor who is willing to loan you the money at much lower rates. In order to reduce the interest rate, one should not burden themselves with short term loan repayment durations. It is necessary to plan out when can you easily repay back the money. Reason being, quick personal loans can get tricky at times. All you need is an identification proof,  put in some personal details like residential address, business contact number and some bank account details. And that’s it!